What happened to Anne Scripps Douglas & Scott Douglas

By Therese Lisieux on March 26th, 2009



Anne Scripps Douglas’ daughter, Anne Morell Petrillo, has allegedly killed herself by jumping off the Tappan Zee over Hudson River. Petrillo lived in Rye Brook. On Friday morning, Sep 25, Petrillo was seen jumping off the Tappan Zee bridge, over the Hudson River. Scott Douglas had jumped off this same bridge 15 years ago.

Anne Scripps Douglas, the heiress to the Scripps newspaper family fortune, was 47 when she was found bludgeoned and unconscious. Scripps daughter, Annie Morell, found her mother injured on New Year’s Day. Scripps never regained conscious and died 6 days after.

Scott Douglas was stepfather to Anne Morell Petrillo, now 38.

An eye witness said Petrillo stopped her car and leapt off the bridge. Police found a suicide note in Petrillo’s car. They are searching the waters for Petrillo’s body.

Anne Scripps’ second husband, Scott Douglas, disappeared from the time Scripps’ body was found. Douglas was a house painter and 9 years younger than Scripps. Scripps had a daughter, Victoria, with Scott Douglas. The girl was nicknamed Tory. Tory was 3 years old in 1994.

Annie Scripps was married to her first husband, Anthony Morell in 1969. Morell was a Wall Street bond salesman. They had 2 daughters, Alexandra Morell and Anne Morell. The Morells divorced after 18 years due to differences.

When Scripps started dating Douglas, her friends tried to warn her to wait. Scott Douglas was charming and Scripps soon fell under his spell. They married and Scripps experienced domestic battery. Douglas often abused Scripps verbally.

On New Year’s Eve of 1994, when Scripps and Douglas were alone in the house, something happened. By the time Annie Morell returned to the house, Scripps was assaulted and bleeding badly. Scott Douglas was later found to have committed suicide by jumping off the Tappan Zee bridge.

When Morell got news of Scripps’ assault, he traveled to her bedside. Tony Morell had cirrhosis and had a short time to live. After Scripps died, doctors used Scripp’s liver to give Morell his liver transplant.

Annie Scripps Douglas background story.

Photos of Anne Scripps Douglas & Scott Douglas at this link.

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4 Responses to “What happened to Anne Scripps Douglas & Scott Douglas”

  1. Denise Prince Says:

    This is so sad. Anne Scripps Douglas had the means
    to protect her children and herself from Male Monsters like Scott Douglas. It is too bad that society, when Anne grew up in the 60’s brain wahed women into thinking that being a good wife and mother was all there is to life, society did not educate women to protect themselves from preditors like Scott, and Anne Douglas felt lost without a man and settled for a low life like Scott. I am not here to judge, only God is, these two young women are in Gods house now, tragic, but we must, as
    women protect our friends and educate other women
    that they are wonderful human beings and give them the means of support to be stong to get out of these
    relationships. My prayers are with the family.

  2. Danesha Says:

    That is so sad what that family has and still is going through. I hope one day they will be able to rest in peace. I also hope Victoria will not be permanently traumatized from all these horrible experinces she has endured. May god help and bless their family.

  3. JoseLizetteLeftTHEHOOD 08 Says:

    u know i feel like so sad for annie barely 40 and yet
    so young DEAD around my age! i cannot IMAGINE why she
    will JUMP OFF A SAME HORRENDOUS bridge type suicide
    like her evil step younger daddy was to her mom etc.
    now she is DOIN the suicide thing like scott,did not
    consider HOW TORI will feel ALEX or her 1 child her
    lil boy now around 13? this is BEYOND to me selfish
    as some say already and sad.RIP
    sigh.

  4. Confused Says:

    Very interesting story. Just thought I’d take a different approach to this, did you ever think that there is a possibility that she may have jumped after guilt? I mean come on why follow step fathers path if you are mourning over your pasted mother. I mean what was she thinking “I’ll drive my “bmw” (same car that mr douglas drove) I’ll jump off the same bridge, the same spot and on top off that I kill myself at the same age” Then to add fuel to the fire lets throw out there that the Blood father randomly had a donor of the newly deceased mother… Shear luck? Did anyone think of the possibility that scott douglas wasn’t really as bad as everyone made him out to be? and maybe the whole thing was setup for the two of them to die. I guess one will never know just interesting turn of events.

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